roman bistro

deva ju all over again.... as a resident of forest hills it was with great anticipation that i waited for roman's to open, especially with the debacle that was bacchus. i loved the idea of staying within my borough to enjoy the promise of craft beers, big screen tv’s, great food and even a cigar from time to time.

what i found out during my three trips to roman's that while a lot has changed inside the building, not much has changed in terms of price, quality and service. by the way i want to make it clear that i really want to see this restaurant do well and really want to like it. however as someone that enjoys trying new restaurants around southwestern pa and who frequents regent square and carl's for food and drink - roman's has a long way to go.

now i know that someone of you will tell me that mr. roman is going for something not available in surrounding areas (and i appreciate that) - i think preserving your vision while playing to your local audience will go along way to keeping the lights on just as the last proprietors found out.

during my first two trips i tried sandwiches (corn beef $11 and fish about the same). while i'm not above spending a pretty penny on these items at least provide me some discernable difference from other places. $11 for a deli sandwich is something i'll pay in new york city. however, the same sandwich in forest hills done the same way i can get at a another deli for half the price in downtown pittsburgh is missing the mark. the fish, while big like the rest of pittsburgh bar sandwiches of the same ilk, was overly greasy and the supposed beer batter wasn't very flaky. come on if you're going to charge on the pricey side at least make it look/taste different. i can spend a lot less @ drews for a better sandwich.

why should i spend more on pricier items, when i don’t see the value on the less priced ones?

i waited tables throughout college and understood that timeliness and accuracy were important to getting a good tip and most importantly ensuring that the customers returned to my bar. my first server was great. she was prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable (the bar was half full). my last server screwed up the beer order, served an appetizer after our bad sandwiches arrived, and gave me a final bill that wasn't really final bill. apparently, they forgot to add our final beers to the bill. i don't mind paying for what i consumed, but come on! by the way - we were one of three tables that day for lunch.

my final try was to utilize the "bottle shop." maybe i'm tainted by the many positive experiences at d's and carl's when it comes to purchasing craft beers to go, but being charged $18 for a mixed six pack was shocking to say the least. you can get a quality six pack of craft beers at many giant eagles now for around $12.

when i asked others about romans, i discovered this guy also owns barcelona at rivers edge, which reminded of the restaurant review that encouraged me not to try it:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sectionfront/life/barcelona-at-rivers-edge-offers-breathtaking-view-leavable-food-301411/

having just reread it i feel like minus the scenic views described in the review, the writer could use it as a template for roman's.

so before the residents of forest hills do an intervention with the owners, along the casts of restaurant impossible and bar rescue, please take a moment to learn from past mistakes and get the staff to by into the details of making up for the current culinary shortcomings with great service.

a friend and i love trying new restaurants so we tried roman bistro. great atmosphere, trendy decor, nice menu, and friendly and professional service. we ordered the poutine as an app and loved it despite the fact that our poutine only had a few cheese curds. my friend ordered the muffaleta sandwich and loved it although she bit down on an olive pit. i ordered the shrimp salad and it was good but the price was way too high for the dish and its ingredients...only four small shrimp, zucchini, tomatoes and cheese for $16. i really think this is a great restaurant and plan to return but the inconsistencies will need to be addressed to keep a steady crowd.

decent food, priced on the high side. i'm sure everyone appreciates the etiquette lesson "foodie gal" has offered up, but it really isn't very relevant (and does seem a bit illiterate with the "should have went" usage, just as one example). but grammar aside, we were a party of four last night for dinner, and found the food respectable (if uninspired).

i found the beer ($7 for a bottle of dogfish head) a little pricey. the $13 hamburger seemed a bit high, too. as far as atmosphere, the back dining area is devoid of any. the little covered patio area would be your best bet once this heatwave is over.

excellent experience every time. i have been to roman bistro 3x
once for some small plates and cocktails.
once with my wife and young children for a family dinner.
once with a party of eight with some friends for an adults only night out.
all three times i have been there have been fantastic experiences.
the wait staff and bartenders are courteous and attentive and the owner mike roman is a fantastic host.
he is obviously very proud of his new restaurant and makes the time to show you around his restaurant and truly make you feel completely comfortable and at home.
i so far have tried the osso bucco which is out of this world, very tender and cooked to perfection, falling off the bone served on a bed of creamy polenta with broccoli rabe.
i also had the bison burger which was cooked just as i had asked for (so many restaurants tend to over cook burgers) and was delicious.
i have also tried several small plates which in and of themselves can make for a meal especially if you like to share with friends or your family.
the small plates which i have tried which were very tasty included the calamari, the hummus, the stuffed banana peppers and the garlic shrimp. some friends we were with raved about the greens and beans and the duck confit flat bread but i did not personally have it.
the menu also features a kids menu with plenty of options for young children as well as a gluten free menu.
the bar area is really roomy and there is a fantastic selection of beers (33 on tap) and also has a significant assortment of wines to select from. the night i was there for cocktails they had a guest piano player there which creates a really nice atmosphere. also the numerous flat screen tv's around the bar is very nice if you are looking to keep tabs on the bucco game or any other game featured on tv.
there is also a fireplace in the bar area which i bet will be great in the winter months.
based on my three visits so far to roman bistro i would say i have been left with a very positive impression of the restaurant based on the food, service as well as the atmosphere.
they are very capable of handling any kind of customer, whether you are stopping to have a quick beer and a small plate by yourself after a long day at work, or taking your family out for dinner or coming in with a large party, the service and quality of food is consistent no matter what you present the staff with.
i am excited that we have an upscale casual restaurant located right here in forest hills to replace the old bacchus space and look forward to watching it thrive.

pretty pricey imo, and no bread!! at an italian based restaurant?!?!? fail.

food was good, service was bad. i was excited to check out the roman bistro for the first time saturday june 30th. i love the beer selection and the menu has a lot to choose from. my wife and i went at 6:00p.m. and the restaurant wasn't very busy and it seemed like there were many servers, but it took forever for our server to show up. once we had our menus he disappeared for another long period of time before coming back to take our orders. we ordered our food at the same time as our drinks since we had already decided on both in the time our server took to come back. i ordered a cup of soup of the day (the tomato basil) along with the pork osso bucco, my wife ordered a fish sandwich. our server then disappeared again, and after a period of time another server from the kitchen brought out our dinners, and offered us refills since the server never returned. i never did receive my soup so i can not say if it was good or not, but the pork osso bucco was really good and my wife like her sandwich. our original server returned when we were finished and offered us the check. i recall the website having a dessert menu, it would have been nice if our server would have offered, but he kindly brought us the check, which he had to take back and reprint since he charged me for the soup i never received. once the new check was brought it was another long delay just to pick up payment and bring back the receipt. while the food seems to be good, this was the worst service i have received at a restaurant in some time, and for as many servers that were working and the amount of people in the restaurant its plain unacceptable. hopefully this will change, not sure i will be back until they work on this problem.

loved it!! this place is spectacular - the food, the atmosphere, and the staff were all wonderful. there is a wide variety of food to choose from and my meal was fantastic. hard to believe anyone has complained about this place. i intend to become a regular. thank god, forest hills has this gem!

yumm. i agree w/ the rest, how can you complain about a new restaurant in forest hills!!!! give it a chance!!!!

my family & i ate @ roman bistro on sunday, the 24th. we made reservations & was waited on instantly. we had the calamari (cooked to perfection & to die for) & the garlic shrimp (oh soooo tastey). for dinner we had the coconut shrimp (done perfectly), salmon w/ asparagus & fingerlings (nicely seasoned & moist), chicken breast salad (nicely seasoned & very good), chicken & broccoli ravioli (yumm) & the scallops (perfect). all were served w/ grilled asparagus. cooked to perfection! very generous portions & we all had a doggie bag to take home.

will we be back, most definitely!!!! as for the prices they're fine. for those complaining about prices - happy hour is every day from 4 - 7p!

welcome to forest hills roman bistro!

great place!. ate at roman bistro for the first time tonite. staff was pleasant and friendly and the food was excellent. can't wait to go back especially for the beet salad. everything was served very hot and and all was very tasty. server seemed a little unsure and nervous - maybe his first day? the atmosphere was very inviting and pretty. we ate in the diniing room but the bar area looked great too! felt the price was good for the quality and amount of food. i would recommend giving it a try.

best burger. i had lunch today at roman bistro and the "new world" burger and fries were phenonminal.
the burger was so tasty and cooked just right, the fries were homemade. i ate at the bar and the bartender couldn't have been nicer or friendlier. i don't know where in forest hills you could get better food,friendlier service and a nice cold beer. come on let's give this place a chance. for all you naysayers out there, i was always taught if you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything
.

osso bucco. i have had "osso bucco" all over the country and nothing compared to roman bistro-- unbelievable quality- impressed with the new restuarant.

wow. bringing my whole office back .... loved it -- thought it was just great !

great spot, just what forest hills needs!. i don't know what some of theese people ate, drank or where they went to. first off, this isn't the usual 'shot n beer' hole that dominates the surrounding area... it's an actual bar with more than wings and fizzy beer on tap. i find it amusing that everyone is so aggrivated about the pricing... it's a pretty new bar for crying out loud! and in fact, $4 is very reasonable for a craft beer, so stop whining. there are great beers on tap, maybe you should try some of them? me and my husband are confessed beer snobs and it was great to have such a lovely selection to mix through. yes $4 is pricey on miller lite, might i recommend you speak to the bar tenders/ servers and branch out... presuming thats what you base your pricing judgements on (bigger fool you).

we dined on friday, and given it was extremely busy, we had no real issues apart from it did take a little longer to get our food... but it was worth it. man, this place means business! there are some twists on regular dishes, but the steak served ontop of pierogies? who can argue with that?! delicious! osso bucco is also a must do.

it's a new place, there are bound to be problems to shift through and remedy. we sat in the bar area and got waited on by a very friendly girl with an accent (hollie). abover her serving skills was her menu knowledge, which given its a new place was fantastic. honest opinions, great suggestions and like i said, a great server (glass never empty, one course cleared before a new one given, there when you needed her). not one person was rude or stiff, i don't know where these other reviewers were, but it couldn't have been the same place.

my only complaint would be that the wait was a little long and the tables were quite close together, but all in all this is the type of establishment you would expect to see in the likes of shadyside, not forest hills, and it is very welcome! we wish roman bistro the best of luck, we love it, and cannot wait to come back.

great food, great service. mike roman is the master.

it's sad that the majority of people who take the time to rate restaurants online are the most all-around negative people. i moved away from the forest hills area one week before this restaurant opened, and after trying it i can say if i ever come back it will be to eat here. the steak sandwich was unique, tasty, and cooked perfectly. the atmosphere was great and the servers were great. i'm not sure how anyone can complain about this fantastic addition to an otherwise culinary hellhole of a neighborhood. appreciate what someone has worked very hard to provide to your neighborhood.